Tale As Old As Time
by Gymtig
Summary: It's the Star's Hollow Halloween Costume party, so who is this mysterious stranger dancing with Lorelai?


Tale As Old As Time

_This is set around Halloween season 4. Lorelai and Jason broke up very early and Luke got divorced soon after he came home from the cruise. Please bear with me, as this is my first fic. MANY thanks to LoVeLuKe for the beta job and for fluffing up the story. Without her, this fic would majorly suck. You rock!_

_The song "Beauty and the Beast" belongs to Disney and the writers, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman._

_**Disclaimer**: Nope, don't own them. Believe me, if I did, Luke and Lorelai would be married by now and the Nardini's would not exist._

It was a brisk October morning and Lorelai and Rory Gilmore were walking towards Luke's for breakfast when Lorelai spotted a new poster in the window of the Soda Shoppe.

"Hey, Rory, Look! 'Not doing anything on Halloween Night? Well then, come to Star's Hollow's first annual costume party, ages 21 and over please. Costumesare required and sorry, baby-sitting will not be provided.'" Lorelai read.

"A costume party? Cool, too bad I can't go. Why do you think it's 21 and over?" Rory asked.

"Probably because Patty has some dirty games planned along with her famous founder's day punch, which, no matter what she tells people, is not kool-aid."

Patty saw the two girls looking at the poster and went to greet them. "Hi ladies. So, Lorelai, are you coming to the party?"

"I might come; it looks like a lot of fun."

"Oh, it will be. I've got some single friends coming and Taylor's invited some of his business friends from Hartford to come, so there'll be plenty of men around if you get lonely."

Patty turned to Rory, "Oh, Rory, do you think you can ask Lane if she would like to DJ the event? You can help her if you'd like, we'll need some people to help with the decorating, and that way you can hang out and watch the party, too. Somebody's going to need to be sober by the end of the night."

Rory shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, I'll ask her. I'm sure it'll be no problem."

"Great, well I'll see you two later." And with that Patty went back to her studio to teach young ballerinas.

Luke Danes looked up from the counter when he heard the bell above the door chime. He smiled when he saw Lorelai and Rory come in and take the table closest to where he was. He quickly filled two large mugs with coffee and walked over to their table.

"So, Lorelai, you going to that Halloween party?" He casuallyasked.

"Of course I am! I'm all for a good party. How about you? Any chance of seeing you there?"

"Right, me in a room with a bunch of drunken people, no thanks."

Lorelai shook her head and smiled. She loved ranting Luke. "Oh, come on, Luke, at least think about it? Roy will be too busy helping Lane to keep me from drowning my sorrows in Patty's punch."

"I'll think about it." He replied sarcastically.

Lorelai smiled at that as she and Rory ordered their usual breakfast, eliciting a scowl from Luke.

Once they had paid and left, Rory turned to her Mom. "So, have you thought about your costume yet?"

"Kind of I have a few ideas, but none seem too appealing at the moment. Why don't we go to that new party store in Hartford and see if we can get some ideas?" Lorelai suggested.

So, soon they were off and browsing around the store, trying on possible ideas and some outfits just for fun.

She tried on many outfits, but all had their problems, medieval princess gowns were too itchy, Morticia was too dark, a cheerleader was too perky; a 60's go-go girl who's outfit was a bit too wild for her taste, Dorothy from The Wizard Of Oz (at Rory's suggesting), she didn't even want to consider, and nothing really caught Lorelai's fancy.

Back at Yale, in her free time, Rory scoured the internet, looking for possible ideas, she went to video stores to see if that sparked any ideas, until she came across a book her Momhad given her when she turned 8. It was the perfect idea!

The days soon went by and there were now only 2 weeks left until the party, and still Lorelai didn't have a costume.

"Rory," she complained to her daughter over the phone, "I still don't have a costume or an idea and the party is in two weeks! What am I going to do?"

"What about a French maid? It's a short, low-cut dress?"

"No, I don't want to look slutty. There are going to be other guys there, guys who don't know me. I don't want to make the wrong impression or have some weirdo ogling me."

"Well, I did some searching and some movie watching and I think I found you the perfect outfit. You could go as Belle from _Beauty and the Beast_. Her gold ball gown is perfect and with the exception of the eye color, you look just like her. It's perfect for you Mom. The gown is beautiful, off-shoulder and doesn't show too much."

Lorelai pondered this for a few moments. She did have some gold material left over from when she made the outfits for the ballerinas for the firelight festival last month.

"That's not a bad idea, Rory. Plus, I can get one of those gold masks to cover my face from the creepy guys if I need it."

"I'll come home this weekend so that we can get your shoes, mask and some candy for the trick-or-treaters."

"Sounds great."

"Ok, see you then."

With that, Rory hung up and went back to her studying.

That weekend, Rory delivered on her promise and when she came home, he mother was nowhereto be found, save for a few scraps of gold fabric and a pair of sewing scissors.

"Mom?" She called.

Lorelai appeared at the top of the stairs, looking a bit frazzled and rushed.

"Do me a favor, kid, go to Luke's and get me a burger and lots of coffee. I'm just now putting the finishing touches on my costume and I need caffeine in me to finish."

Rory shrugged and after putting her stuff in her room, went off to Luke's, where she figured she'd get herself something to eat while she was at it.

The diner was empty when she arrived, which was different, since she was used to it always being crowded with people.

"Hey, Luke." She greeted.

"Oh, hey Rory, where's your Mom?"

"She's at home, putting the finishing touches on her costume, she sent me here to get burgers and coffee for her and myself."

"Oh, ok." Luke tried not to look too disappointed. Lately, he had been doing some thinking and decided he needed to get the courage to ask Lorelaiout becauseif he didn't, he would never know if she maybe felt something for him. "Rory, what's your Momdressing up as for the party?"

"She is going as Belle, from the movie Beauty and the Beast, why?"

Luke looked down. He was already losing faith in his plan and wasn't sure if he should say anything about it.

"Luke, what's going on?" Rory asked curiously

Luke surrendered. "Alright, but you have to promise not to say a word about this to anyone."

"I promise."

"Alright, well, after my break-up with Nicole, I did some thinking about things. Things she said, things people in town have said to me. Things about your Mom. I decided that I should at least let her know how I feel, even if she doesn't feel the same about me. But I don't want to tell her myself for fear that she'll laugh in my face or something. So, I thought that this party would be the perfect opportunity to tell your Momhow I feel, without her knowing that it's me." He mistook Rory's silence to mean something else. "If you're not ok with it, I'll just forget about it, but I just thought…" He trailed off.

"Luke, it's the perfect idea. And of course I'm ok with it, I'm all for the two for you being together. I can tell you right now that she won't laugh in your face. I know she feels the same as you do, trust me. Do you have a costume in mind?"

"I have not a clue what to dress up **as;** all I know **is** that I want my face to be hidden with a mask of some sort."

Rory thought for a moment, and then an idea came to her. "Why don't you go as the Beast from the movie? You'd compliment Momperfectly. Besides, the Beast is really Prince Charming in disguise, and that way, you'd get to be both. You can wear a mask to hide your face and gloves to hide your hands and just disguise your voice. It's a great plan. Oh, and you'll want the blue suit from the dance scene."

"Do you really think this'll work?" He asked skeptically.

"Of course it will! Look, I'll drop by later to bring you the movie and I'll make sure Lane has the soundtrack if you need it."

Luke smiled. He was glad that Rory was ok with his plan and his feelings for her Mom. "Don't breathe a word of this to anyone. If she asks, just tell her I yelled at you for even asking."

"Don't worry Luke, I won't say a word. I want this to happen just as much as you do. It's a romantic gesture and it tells her that you feel the same as she does."

Rory took the order pad from his shirt pocket, wrote something down on it and handed it back to Luke. He looked down at what she wrote.

"That is my cell phone number, if you need anything, just give me a call. I'll be at the party helping decorateand helping Lane DJ."

Caesar then handed Rory her food, she paid Luke and walked out the door.

Luke quickly got on the phone with his sister to see if she could offer up any advice or help him with his costume.

Rory arrived back home moments later. "Mom, I come bering food and coffee!" She yelled.

"Ok, coming."

A moment later, Lorelai gracefully walked down the stairs into the living room.

Rory was speechless. "Wow, Mom, you look amazing."

The dress looked almost exactly like it did in the movie. It was a gold, off-shoulder ball gown and every detail of the dress had been seen to, including the elbow-length gloves and the gold hairpiece. She looked exactly like Belle. Rory knew Luke wouldn't be able to keep his eyes off her Momwhen she was in that dress.

"It's a good thing I'll be at the party helping Lane; I'll have to beat men off of you with a stick!" Rory exclaimed.

"Let me change quickly and then we can eat." Lorelai said as she rushed back upstairs to change.

Awhile later, after reviewing the movie, Luke made a few notes as to how he could declare his feelings, and a few movie tidbits he may need to know, just in case. Luke had combed costume shops until he had found an outfit that almost perfectly matched the picture that Rory gave him of the Beast's suit. Liz had found a beast-like mask at the faire that would muffle his speech and was sending it next-day air, so with that, his costume was complete. Now all he needed was the music.

Lane had come to the diner for her shift during the tail end of the early-afternoon lull. Luke spotted her and waved her over towards the storage room.

"What's up, Luke?"

"You have the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack, right?" He asked hopefulness evident in his voice.

"Are we talking the TV show in the early 90's or the Disney movie?"

"The movie."

"Ok then, yes, I have it."

"Could you make me a copy of it for me?"

Lane looked at Luke. He didn't seem like the type of guy who would want a Disney soundtrack willingly. She knew he must have an ulterior motive of some sort.

"Ok, but if I'm going to illegally copy a CD, I'm going to have to have a reason for doing so."

Luke sighed. He knew Rory would eventually tell Lane and since she was the DJ at the party, it might be nice to have her on his side as well.

"Alright, but no one else is to know. I plan to tell Lorelai how I feel about her at the party, and since I'm too chicken to do it as myself, i'm going to dress up as the Beast from the movie and when I tell her, I thought it would be nice to have the song playing in the background."

Lane squealed. Luke Danes had finally seen the light. "Luke, how romantic! Of course I'll copy the CD; I'll have it for you tomorrow. Can I at least tell Rory? I mean, it involves her Mom, after all."

"Rory already knows. And I may need help getting her alone so that I can talk to her, so please do whatever you can to help me. I'd appreciate it more than I can say."

"I'm glad to help. And, I'll even open the next morning for you, just in case the outcome is in your favor."

With that, they went back into the dining room to serve the customers that had started to arrive.

A few days before Halloween, Lorelai stopped by the diner for lunch. Luke had just gotten of the phone with his delivery guy; Caesar accidentally dropped a few dishes and spilled some coffee earlier in the day, so he was in a bit of a mood.

"Hey, Luke." She greeted him as he placed a mug of coffee in front of her. She looked around the diner, and there were no decorations, and looking into Taylor's place, it was all-out decorated. She turned to Luke.

"So, Luke, you do know that Halloween is in a few days, right?"

"I'm aware of that fact, yes."

"Well, looking around this place, you sure can't tell that you're aware. I mean, where are the decorations? The bat, the pumpkins, those corny, fake fall leaves like Taylor has up in his shop? You know, some places acknowledge the fact that a holiday is coming up…" Lorelai ranted with a slight pout on her face.

Luke stopped her mid-rant, "No. Don't even say it! I will not decorate the diner. Decorations like those are dumb and a total waste of money. Besides, what's the point in decorating anyways? It just tells kids that they can come in here demanding free candy that they are either going to throw up later that night, or will rot their teeth out!"

Lorelai smirked. "Well, you could always give out apples or carrots, I'm sure the kids would love those."

"And risk seeing them all over the ground the next morning? No thanks."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, behold, the Halloween Grinch." Lorelai decided it would be best to change the subject. "So, are you coming to the Halloween party?"

"Not a chance."

"But Luuuuuuuke…" Lorelai whined.

"No amount of your whining will convince me to go, either, now can you just drop it?" He said harshly.

Lorelai put her hands up in surrender. "Alright, consider it dropped, geez."

Soon the night of the party had arrived, and Rory and Lane were helping to set up Lane's equipment and decorating the place before everyone arrived. While hanging up some streamers, Lane turned to Rory.

"So, what do you think of Luke's plan to sweep your Momoff her feet tonight? Do you think it'll work?"

"I hope so. I know Momlikes him, and a lot, but she won't admit it. And it's such a good idea."

"I know, gosh, I wish a guy would do that for me; dance with me, sweep me off my feet, tell me he loves me." Lane sighed. "So, do you know anything more about the plan besides his costume?"

"Nothing. I'd assume he'll want to take her to a more private place and talk to her, just in case it doesn't go very well. I guess we'll wait and see." Rory said.

"Do you think she suspects anything?"

"I doubt it. Luke gets crazy at the mere mention of attending a town function, so why would he attend, especially one where you have to dress in a costume?"

"Good point. Do you think she'll be interested when she sees him in his Beastcostume?"

"I think so. It'll get her intrigued and I think she'll go with him just to find out who he is."

Lane nodded and she and Rory went back to finish decorating and handling the food that had started to arrive with a few of the guests.

Rory was secretly hoping that all went well tonight. Her Momand Luke both deserved to be happy after all they had been through, in terms of romantic relationships.

By 10pm, most of the guests had arrived and the music was just beginning. Everyone came in costume. Kirk was Batman, Sookie was a Chef, Babbette was a Cat, Morey was Charlie Parker, Gypsy was an auto-body girl, Patty wore one of her old flamenco dancer outfits, and Taylor was simply, well, Taylor, although most people mistook him for Bill Cosby.

Lorelai was the last to arrive, and when she did, all eyes in the room were on her. The jaws of quite a few men dropped as they got a good look at her, as the women went over to compliment her on her outfit and how she perfectly looked the part; and she did. Her long brown hair was swept up in a half bun with a gold clasp, her dress was elegant, and in her left hand, she held a solid gold mask, in case she wanted to hide her face for any reason.

Her eyes scanned the room, seeing who had showed up for the party and wearing what, frowning when she didn't see the one face she was almost hoping to see. She spotted Sookie and decided to ask anyways.

"Hey Sook, do you know if Luke is coming?"

"I went into the Diner this afternoon and he got really upset when I even mentioned the party. I take it that means he won't be coming. But there a lot of other nice-looking men here who I'm sure would be glad to keep you away from the lethal punch." Sookie tried to reassure Lorelai.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right." And with that, Lorelai made her way over to the refreshment table to snag a cookie or two and hang out with her daughter and Lane.

Back at the diner, Luke adjusted his mask to make sure that it covered his face and most of the back of his head. He put on his gloves, dusted imaginary lint off of his pants and looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't recognize the man/beast staring back at him, so he was confident that Lorelai wouldn't either. He grabbed the red rose off of his kitchen table and decided it was time to head over to the party and face the music.

While at the party, Lorelai had accepted dance invitations from a few of Patty's male friends and one or two of Taylor's friends, and they were all duds. One guy bored her with his consistent talk about stocks and the stock market and how interest rates were on the rise, again. Another one of the guys was constantly staring at her low neckline the entire time and the last guy kept staring at his feet because he wasn't a very confident dancer, and as a result kept stepping on her feet. She then decided she was done with dancing for the night. Her poor feet couldn't take it anymore.

She wandered over to the punch bowl and was about to take a sip of the lethal drink when suddenly the music stopped and the crowd was murmmering to each other. Lorelai looked towards the door to see what was going on. Did Kirk decide that dressing up as Batman meant that he could fly, or something else to that extent? She got her answer when she saw a man dressed as the Beast walk through the door, looking right at her.

Luke's eyes scanned the crowded studio. He spotted Lorelai by the punch bowl, a dangerous combination. His breath stopped when she turned to face him. If he wasn't already in love with her, he would be now.

He walked towards her with confident strides. Rory and Lane shared a knowing glance and pretended to be absorbed in finding a CD to play next.

Lorelai's eyes were glued to the masked man, there was something about him that was so familiar, and yet at the same time, unfamiliar.

Once he came up to where she was standing, he extended his left hand, with the rose, to her, and Lorelai accepted it with a wary expression, as if unsure if the rose was a trick or was poisoned or something. When the music changed to a slow ballad, Luke bowed to her, signaling that he wished to dance with her. She decided to take a chance, and curtseyed to signal that she accepted his invitation. He took her hand and they made their way to the middle of the dance floor, their eyes glued to one another.

From across the room, Rory and Lane were watching the couple dance with satisfied smiles on their faces.

"Do you think she knows its Luke?" Lane asked.

"I don't think so. I mean, if I didn't already know it was him, I wouldn't have a clue. I can't wait until she finds out thoughshe's going to be floored!"

Miss Patty walked over to where the two girls were standing.

"Girls, do you know who that masked man is? He looks yummy."

"Um, no, Patty, sorry." Rory lied through her teeth.

"Such a shame," Patty commented. "If he didn't look so taken with your mother, Rory, I'd go after him myself. The way he looks in those tight pants…" She trailed off.

Rory took Patty'spunch glass from her hand, shooting Lane a desperate look to divert the gossip queen's attention. "I think you've had enough punch for awhile."

"You know Patty, there's a guy over there in the left corner who's been eyeing you all night. I think he's too afraid to ask you to dance, why don't you go over there. Who knows, he may be your potential next husband." Lane improvised, leading Patty towards the made-up gentleman.

When Lane came back, Rory nodded, laughing. "I must say, I'm impressed."

Lane shrugged. "I learned from the best."

All around the room, people were speculating on who this masked man could possibly be.

"I think its Jason." Sookie said.

"Nah, couldn't be. He's too short, and not as lean." Babette piped up.

"Maybe it's that Max guy coming to win her back, because he's forgiven her for leaving him at the altar and wants to re-marry her." Gypsy volunteered.

Eyebrows were raised. That was a definite possibility. They turned their attention back to the dancing couple, whose eyes were still locked.

When the song ended, the couple reluctantly stepped away from each other, breaking their gaze.

Neither spoke until Lorelai found her voice.

"Well, you certainly know your way around a dance floor."

Luke simply nodded but inside he was smiling. His plan was about to be fully put into action.

He took a deep breath and asked, "Would you care to go for a walk with me around town?"

Lorelai was flustered. The man's voice sounded like someone she knew, but couldn't place it.

"Um, sure, I'd love to go for a walk. Just let me get my coat, and I'll meet you by the door."

Lorelai went over to the coat rack and started to put her wrap on, when she was met by an anxious Rory.

"Mom, who is he?" She asked.

"I don't know, but he asked me to take a walk with him, so hopefully, I'll find out." Lorelai said not very convincingly.

Rory was surprised, but knew she shouldn't be. If Luke was going to reveal his feelings, he'd want to go someplace quiet with no one around.

"You're going with him?" Rory asked.

"Why not? I'm dying to find out who he is. When we danced, I felt safe, like I belonged there, in his arms. But, if I'm not back here in an hour, send a search party." With that, Lorelai gathered her skirts and walked towards the door, as Luke took her arm and led her out.

Seconds after they left, all the party-goers rushed over to the door to get another glimpse.

Rory shook her head. She wanted her mom and Luke to have some privacy, but that wasn't likely to happen with Yenta Central around. So, she and Lane pushed their way through the crowd and closed the doors.

Complaints were heard, as well and groans and loud protests.

"Hey, let's give them some privacy. Come on now, let's get this party started. We haven't even gotten to the games yet." Rory turned to Lane. "Don't worry; I'll keep an eye on them."

Lane went back to her table and put on some good Halloween music to liven up the crowd and get them dancing and laughing so that they would forget about what was possibly going on outside.

Luke led Lorelai to the gazebo. They both sat down and looked at the night sky, which was full of bright stars and a full moon.

It was Lorelai who spoke first. "So, do you want to tell me who you are?"

Luke shook his head. "I'll tell you at midnight." Lorelai opened her mouth as if to protest. "And no amount of pouting will convince me otherwise."

"What if I were to guess who you are? Would you tell me if I was right?" Lorelai asked with a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Not a chance." Luke replied.

Lorelai frowned and looked around the town, her gaze going to the diner and the apartment above it. She noted that the lights were out.

"_He probably went to bed already. He usually has early deliveries."_ She thought to herself.

Luke followed her glance and noticed her facial expressions.

"Thinking about something?"

His voice brought Lorelai out of her trance.

"Hmm? Oh, no. Just looking at the town. It's so peaceful with everyone being at the party and all."

Luke got up and walked around the Gazebo. He grabbed the stereo (complete with the CD Lane had loaned him) that he had hidden earlier on the night and plugged in the Christmas lights that usually adorned the building. He set the stereo down on the bench opposite Lorelai.

Lorelai was confused. "May I ask what exactly you are doing?"

Luke turned towards her as he pushed the Play button.

"Dance with me, Lorelai?"

Lorelai gave him a quizzed look. "How did you know my name?"

"It's not important." He replied, pulling up her.

As Luke pulled her towards him, he felt her body tense up. He knew what she was probably thinking. _'Who was this man and how does he know me?' _He must have scared her unintentionally, he sure didn't mean to, so he pressed the pause button on the stereo.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you or make you uncomfortable." Luke apologized.

Lorelai smiled. "It's alright; I'm just not used to dancing with a charming stranger, that's all."

As he put an arm around her slender waist, he pushed the play button and the song started to play. He took her hand, as her other hand grasped her edge of her dress so that she didn't unwillingly trip over the material.

As they began to dance, Lorelai finally heard the song that was playing. It was the theme song from the movie, _Beauty and the Beast,_ with the beautifully blended voices of Pebo Bryson and Celine Dion. With that, she smiled even brighter, whoever this man was, really knew her.

Luke gently whispered in her ear_, "Tale as old as time, True as it can be, Barely even friends, Then somebody bends, unexpectedly."_

Lorelai got goosebumps all over her body when she felt his breath whisper the song in her ear. It was strange. It was Halloween night, almost midnight, no one else was around and here she was dancing with a stranger who seemed familiar, she should be worried, but yet, one look into his piercing blue eyes, and she felt safe, wanted, loved, as if that was where she belonged, like they were the only two people on earth. It was an amazing feeling and she wanted it to last.

She whispered the song back to him, _"Just a little change, Small, to say the least, Both a little scared, Neither one prepared, Beauty and the Beast."_

It was close to midnight when Rory snuck out the doors of the studio to check up on her mom and Luke. It had been almost an hour since they had left. She looked around the square and saw that the gazebo was lit up and the pair was dancing together. She could swear that she saw a smile on her mother's face. She gently closed the doors behind her as she went back to give Lane the update.

Lane looked at Rory expectantly. "Well? What's happening?"

"They were dancing in the gazebo, they looked happy, but I don't think he's told her who he is yet, because he still had the mask on."

"Maybe he's waiting until midnight to show himself." Lane suggested.

"Could be." Rory agreed, nodding.

Soon, the song had ended, and the soundtrack was still playing in the background. Lorelai moved her hand to Luke's cheek, softly stroking it. When she heard what she assumed was his watch beeped to let them know it was now midnight, Lorelai was broken out of her trance.

It was now midnight and Lorelai was anxious to find out who the man behind the mask was. Was he her Prince Charming, like in the movie? She moved her hands to the edge of his mask and was about to remove it when Luke placed his hands on hers.

"Wait." He told her. "Before I let you see me for who I really am, there are some things I need to say to you. Lorelai, I've know you and Rory for years. I've seen countless numbers of guys come in and out of your life; I've consoled you after disastrous Friday night dinners, and kept you from going back there and strangling your mother. I've fixed your house so that you could live. And you've done a lot for me too. You've helped me keep my cool when I was about to lose it, organized a movie night for me to wallow. You've been the one constant thing in my life, the one I could depend on for a smile and a friendly face."

While listening to this declaration, Lorelai's eyes had widened and her breathing had become erratic as more and more she was realizing who this mystery man was. There was only one person who had really seen her at her best and worst times.

"Lorelai, I love you, and I want to be with you, but only if you want to be with me, when you find out who I am. If you decide that your answer is no, then that's alright, we can just pretend that this night never happened."

He took his hands off of Lorelai's and cast his eyes towards the ground as she removed his mask and gasped.

"Luke." She breathed.

Luke smiled weakly. "Yeah, it's me. Are you surprised?"

"**I...I**…"she trailed off. Lorelai was speechless, something that never happened. She had always known that Luke had feelings for her, or at least she had been told that, and she always had feelings for him, but just assumed he was never interested and that it was just a good source of town gossip.

"I don't know what to say. I never expected this, any of this; a grand gesture of affection from Luke Danes, master of the mono-syllable, grumpy diner owner. I just…wow." Lorelai stepped back for a moment to study his face. Now was her chance. Luke loved her and wants to be with her, here was her opportunity to have what she's always wanted, a sort of fairy tale. She knew what her answer was.

She took a step towards Luke, placing one hand on his cheek and her lips on his. Luke quickly deepened the kiss and wrapped his arms protectively around her, as if to guard her from the chill in the air.

At midnight, as the party was winding down, Rory decided to check on her mom and Luke, since it was getting late. She quietly closed the studio doors behind her and took a few steps into the night, and smiled at the sight before her; the mask and wig had been discarded and the couple was locked in a passionate embrace. She smiled and went back inside.

When Lane spotted Rory, she gave a questioning look with her eyes, which Rory replied to with a thumbs up and a nod. Lane pumped her fist in the air. She then decided that it was time for the party to end, so she turned her microphone on.

"Ok everyone, the masked man has revealed himself to Lorelai and she has accepted him, so let's start cleaning up so that you can all go home and sleep off Patty's punch."

The partygoers grumbled and began to move from the places where they had fallen to help clean-up.

Rory went over to Lane to help her break down her equipment and put her cd's back in order.

"So, what did you see?" Lane whispered excitedly.

"The mask and wig were off and it was hard to see anything between them, so let's just say that I don't think my mom will be coming home tonight. They both looked so happy, and I'm happy for them, too. Luke's loved her for years, and they deserve the chance to be together."

Lane hugged Rory. "I'm happy it worked out for them, too. Lorelai's like a mom to me, she saved me from my childhood of the sheltered life."

Back at the Gazebo, the two love birds broke the kiss.

"Lorelai, I know this is a weird time to ask, but would you like to go out with me sometime? Maybe to a movie or something?"

Lorelai thought for a moment. Of course she wanted to go out with Luke, but she didn't want to wait for more of him and his amazing kisses.

"You know, some people would consider this a first date. You know, moonlight, dancing, romance, the man sweeping the woman off her feet…." She trailed off.

Luke knew that she was hinting at, and he wanted the same thing.

"So, what do you say we go back to my apartment, for some coffee, or something?" Luke asked with a sly smile.

Lorelai had a wicked look in her eyes. "Or something. Just let me go back and get my purse and tell Rory that I may not be home tonight."

Lorelai stepped out of the gazebo and turned around. "Well, come on mystery man, you aren't leaving me alone, there are drunk men in there." She dragged his hand and pulled him next to her.

By the time they arrived at Patty's, most of the people had left or were asleep.

"Rory." She called.

Rory quickly walked over to her mom.

"Well, don't keep me guessing, who was it?" Rory asked.

Lorelai smiled. "Luke."

Rory feigned a look of shock and surprise. "Luke? As in grumpy hermit, Luke?"

"Yep. Rory, it was so sweet and so romantic. He loves me, and I feel the same way. So, I won't be home till tomorrow." Lorelai hurried with that last part, hoping Rory hadn't caught it.

Lorelai turned to leave when Rory caught her purse. "Wait, tomorrow?" She asked.

Lorelai grinned and her eyes twinkled.

"Ah, I see." Rory said.

"I want this to work, hun, I really do. I've ignored my feeling for him for awhile now, and I'm ready to share them."

Rory smiled. "I know mom, and I'm happy for you, believe me."

Lorelai walked back over to Luke, they grasped hands and walked towards the diner.

Once Luke had unlocked the main door, their lips came together like magnets. He re-locked the door the best he could and the couple made their way up the stairs, their lips never breaking. He pushed open the door to his apartment and as he closed it, he pushed Lorelai up against it. His hands roughly grabbed her hips as he pulled her closer to him and started walking back towards the bed while pulling the zipper of her dress down.

Later, they lay entwined with Luke's arms wrapped around Lorelai and her head on his chest.

Lorelai thought back to earlier in the night. Luke giving her the rose, his blue eyes seeing into her soul, their first dance, the sparks she felt as they kissed for the first time, and how their costumes complimented each other.

"Hey, Luke?"

"Hmm?" Luke replied kissing her gently.

"How did you know to dress up as the beast? I never told you what my costume was, I only told Rory, and yet it was like you knew."

Luke figured he should tell her, he knew Rory might anyways.

"Rory told me. She came in one day for food and I asked her what you were dressing up as. I had wanted to tell you how I felt about you for awhile now, but I was too chicken to do it as myself for fear that you would reject me. So, Rory gave me some advice on the costume. I thought that the party would be the perfect time to tell you, since I'd be someone else."

"So, Rory was in on this the whole time?" Lorelai asked incredulously.

"Lane was too. She wouldn't copy the soundtrack for me unless I told her what it was for. She was pretty thrilled with my plan, so she and Rory promised to keep the vultures away so that we could have some time alone."

She smiled at the thought. "Remind me to thanks them later."

"You can thank Lane in the morning; she offered to open the diner for me."

A thought came to Lorelai and a devilish twinkle came to her eye. "So, if you don't have to open the diner tomorrow…does that mean we can sleep until noon so that we have time for other activities tonight?"

Luke lifted his head and kissed her deeply.

Looking out the window, Mother Nature's stars shone their brightest as they looked down on the two lovers.


End file.
